Kitchen Living Pressure Cooker

Short side handles; looks likes it is designed like the new generation cookerswhere the steam is sealed in, no rocker arm, and with only a full pressure setting(not a two pressure level setting found on some brands like Fagor).2-year warranty. Comes with a trivet insert.

I have never heard of this brand, do not know if it comes up to the full 15 PSI, and itsdurability, but the other appliance I bought at Aldi's (made by Crofton) is well made,designed by a German firm but manufactured in China. My other concern is replacementfor the gasket. I have no idea of the quality of the gasket.

Other than the major and well known companies, many of the other larger sized pressure cookersare not made of stainless steel, so this one got my attention and the price indicates that while it is nota premium quality made product, is most likely not a piece of junk. The store employee told me thatno other cookers had been returned for product defect.

Here are the additional specs on the product that I view as important (I viewed it in the store.) ...

18/10 stainless steel.

Two pressure settings: 9 and 13 PSI.

The base of the cooker was about 6 to 7 inches wide and appeared to be less wide than the 4 and 6 qtFagor cooker.

The contents in the box included the pressure cooker with the short side handle and longer side handle,along with the cooker packaged in plastic. The "valve" was affixed separately on a cardboard divider.The 10 inch gasket rested in the bottom of the box (not enclosed in a plastic bag). I am not sure, but thegasket looked like it was made of silicone material, but feeling it left me with the sense that it may have beenthick rubber. There was no manual inside the box (nor another one that I opened) nor any phone numberto contact for further. (I believe that if there is a problem, the unit is just taken back to the Aldi store.The brand listed on the box was identified as "Kitchen Living," made in China. There were severalinformational markings on the bottom of the heavy bottom which looked like it had been fused on separately,indicating the 18/10 material and that it could be used on specified (listed in text and image) cookingequipment.

I wonder if another 10 inch gasket can be used on this cooker. One website which sells Fagor gaskets statesthat the Fagor 10 inch silicone gasket can be used only for the Fagor brand. Isn't the size of the gasket the onlycriteria that qualifies it as useable on a cooker made by a different brand?

I did read on the Miss Vickie portion of this website a description of the different PSI (and 13 PSI is listed in the "medium pressure" section, reaching a temperature of 251 degrees vs. 257 for 15 PSI, requiring an additional 2 minutesof cooking time for every 10 minutes for a 15 PSI cooker. The cooker reaching a PSI of less than 15 PSI was describedby Miss Vickie as undesirable. I do not use my cooker for red meat or any similar large meat item. I use it mostly for cookingbeans, greens, and rice. I hope to eventually use it for soups. (my last venture cooking chicken didn't result in fully cooked chicken for the time I had used.)

Has anyone used such a cooker reaching only 13 PSI and is it that less satisfactory than a cooker which reaches 15 PSI?The few things that concern me with this cooker is the 13 PSI as the maximum setting, the lack of packaging to seal in the "freshness" of the gasket (although perhaps another fresher gasket could be purchased elsewhere, assuming there is a 10 inch gasket that fits this cooker), and the lack of any manual and contact phone number. (not to mention the brand namewhich doesn't seem to have any following).

@Felafelboy I suggest you get a Fagor pressure cooker. These have mostly positive reviews online and Fagor pressure cookers do cook at 15 psi.

If you buy a brand that is not well known, you risk not being able to get spares if the company goes out of business. So if the gasket needs replacing, you will find it very hard to get a replacement.

Anything below 15psi will cause you constant frustration of under-cooking when following recipes for 15psi, then you will overcook at 13psi by cooking for longer than necessary, which results in mushy food.

Yes, a Fagor will cost more, but it's *definitely* worth spending extra on a good pressure cooker that can reach 15psi and it will last many years.

PCuser - Thanks for your reply. The other (and only) PC I haved is a Fagor. It is the smaller 4 qt size, which for my use works fine. (I use it for simple tasks - cooking brown rice, oatmeal, kale, corn, beans.) I understand that a larger size would give me more flexibility for larger dishes (larger volume size for soup, and for chicken.) I would like a second PC so when I am cooking rice or another part of my meal plan, I can use the other PC for the other ingredients. I know Fagor costs more than most of the other brands, but its quality is better. Some of my Indian neighbors use cheaper made cookers for their dishes and seem content. I would never get a PC, such as what many of them use, which expels steam via the old rocker whistle valve. What I like about the Kitchen Living PC is that it has two settings.

My Fagor Elite (I think that's the version of the Fagor PC I bought) has only one setting. I don't do delicate desserts or fish in my PC, so the lower pressure setting might not be of much use for me - and the two setting Fagor pressure cooker is above $80. I also liked the more narrow base of the Kitchen Living 6 qt PC. I think the base of the Fagor 6 qt. is wider. (I suppose I could do fish at the 15 PSI setting, although I'd have to cook for only a few minutes and use the quick release method.)

Why do so many of these brands make PC whose maximum pressure is 13 and not 15? I did not get the Kitchen Living cooker since I am not convinced that 13 PSI will work as well as 15 PSI. I don't know why the product packaging wouldn't include a manual, a contact number, a packaging to seal in the gasket (unless the gasket's material is not affected by exposure to the air). With Fagor, I don't have the same concerns, though some years ago, I did have to return a CASA model due to what I considered a material defect. Now, that brand seems to consist of only aluminum material not stainless steel like the Fagor.

For value, Fagor impresses me as one of the better brands. Kuhn Rikon is out of my price range and I think there would be hassles getting parts and adequate customer support for the Indian-based Hawkins line of cookers.

Best advice for everyone reading: save up for a good brand of pressure cooker which can reach 15 psi, such as the Fagor. You will not have any major problems and you will be buying a reliable pressure cooker that will last at least 25 years - probably longer, with only gaskets being replaced if the cooker is looked after. I don't know why other brands can only reach 13 psi - or less, unless some of mainland Europe has been using 13 psi for decades? The UK has always used 15 psi, but we try to copy the European "ways" and we are nothing like Europe!

I get the impression that Fagor are the only manufacturer who make pressure cookers which can work at 15 psi in the USA and Europe. Fagor also make some of the "Tower" branded pressure cookers, which can also reach 15 psi. Maybe Fagor *do* listen to what consumers want? That is, a pressure cooker which works at 15 psi and the availability of spare parts like gaskets for years to come.

Do also consider if you will need two pressure settings, if you wish to cook delicate foods below 15 psi e.g. spinach, but 99% of the time the food is cooked at 15 psi.

It's always better to have a slightly bigger pressure cooker, because you can always fit more into a bigger pressure cooker, but not into smaller pressure cookers and you can only utilise 2/3 the interior height for solid foods, 1/2 full for liquids, pasta etc and 1/3 full for pulses. Overfilling beyond those recommended levels will cause the food to rise up to the steam vent and cause a bit of a mess! Consider that cooking rice or pasta in a saucepan creates foamy bubbles (less if cooking oil is used), imagine what happens in a pressure cooker if you cook more than recommended!